A bizarre incident of swapping the body of a Covid patient with that of another patient who recovered from the infection came to light in East Midnapore on Wednesday.

Sources said a 50-year-old farmer from East Midnapore’s Patashpur infected with Covid-19 was admitted to Chandipur Covid Hospital on April 18. Another Covid patient from Panskura — of same age and surname as of the farmer — was brought to the facility a day or two later.

On the morning of May 29, the patient from Panskura died at the hospital.

Hospital staff erroneously called up the family of Patashpur patient and informed them that their patient had died. However, on May 1, the family members of the Patashpur patient — declared dead earlier — received another call from the hospital, this time asking them to take their patient home as he had been cured of the infection.

The incident came to light after the district unit of the CPM lodged a complaint with state health secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam and district magistrate Smita Nandy seeking stern steps against the chief medical officer and other hospital staff involved in the gross negligence.

The son of the Patashpur patient told The Telegraph: “It was not only bizarre but shocking for us. We went to the hospital and requested them to show the face of the body but they only showed us part of the face from a distance for a brief few seconds. We had doubts and I told the hospital staff that the face does not look similar to my father. But they convinced us by saying that there had been changes to his facial features because of the infection.”

According to the family of the Patashpur patient, they paid Rs 5,800 and went to Digha along with the staff hospital to perform the last rites of the body given to them.

“When we got a call from on May 1 informing us about the recovery of my father. We spoke with the hospital authorities who admitted their mistake. We took our father home but it was a sheer callousness on part of the hospital administration,” the son added.

The wife of the recovered patient said: “It is a relief for me that my husband is alive.”

The family of the deceased patient from Panskura said till May 1 they were told that their patient was stable and would be released soon. “I had no idea about the death of my husband. Now, I am told that he has been cremated,” said the wife of the deceased patient.

The DM admitted the mistake and said the hospital was warned.